A TEESSIDE schoolteacher was chosen to visit Japan recently as part of a cultural visit.

Eight teachers from the UK, including Peter Bell, of Grangefield School, Stockton, were among 65 from around the world chosen for the trip by the Japan Foundation, similar to the British Consul.

The two-and-a-half-week visit took in Tokyo, Hiros-hima, Kyoto and Tokushima and included sightseeing trips as well as visits to local schools.

While in Tokushima Mr Bell, a humanities teacher, visited four schools where he took part in lessons, with the help of interpreters, and sampled Japanese school dinners.

He said: "The differences between our two cultures is remarkable, but there are also many similarities."

Mr Bell has used his experiences in Japan, along with many photographs and souvenirs he brought back, as a basis for discussion in his classes at Grangefield